THAT'S WILD: Africa's Bushtops Camps a marriage of adventure, luxury

EAST AFRICA — We stopped for a snack. That’s when we nearly became lunch.

OK, that might be stretching the truth slightly, but the lion’s share of the experience sure felt nerve-wracking enough in the moment.

We were on a four-night safari adventure in East Africa and a few hours into our first full-day game drive inside Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve when our top-notch guide, Nicholas, and knowledgeable Masai spotter, Tony, stepped out of the Toyota Land Cruiser to scope out a shaded resting area. It was a chance to stretch our legs and sip some coffee.

Elephants and zebras roam in the Serengeti. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

“It’s a hippo,” Nicholas assured after we heard a roar of sorts.

Satisfied that our surroundings were safe, Nicholas and Tony hopped back into the vehicle, determined to drive a few feet closer to the edge of the Talek River, a tributary to the mighty Mara River.

It was then that we learned the true origin of what we thought was a hippo.

The noise came from one of five lioness nestled in some shrubs a few feet from our prospective picnic stop, enthusiastically snacking on a small antelope species, perhaps a dik-dik.

Yikes. Wasn’t expecting that, Nicholas said, adding it was a good thing we didn’t get out of the vehicle. We agreed.

The scenario served as a glimpse into life in the Great Rift Valley, where humans are mere visitors, where nature runs the show, and reveals itself as it so chooses.

Here on a once-in-a-lifetime African safari adventure with Bushtops Camps, we understood we would see some things that we would never see back home. Still, we couldn’t have predicted it would be this unpredictable out here on this beautiful savannah.

A young cheetah cub plays in the grass inside the Masai Mara National Reserve. (SARA SHANTZ PHOTO)

We were there the first week of December, during the “short rains” season and had to battle some incredibly rugged and slippery terrain in our safari vehicle. From animal guts being feasted upon before our eyes (hey, that’s nature), to elephants thumping around mere feet from our tent in the middle of the night, to flying through a heavy rainstorm in a 12-seater plane, to watching a cheetah and her seven cubs frolic from close vantage, we experienced a bit of everything.

Yes, we even saw the Big Five: Lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and Cape buffalo. All within a span of about 48 hours, a strike of good fortune to be sure, particularly when factoring in the heavy rainfall.

Perhaps the greatest gift of all? We didn’t force any of it. We didn’t request or demand to see anything in particular. We let nature come to us, not the other way around, and maybe, just maybe, there was a reward to be had from that.

“Animals are always here. Any time you can come here and see animals,” Grayson, our excellent guide at Serengeti Bushtops, said shortly before spotting a leopard and her two cubs. “Nature is always so kind. You can come in July and see this and miss this. You can come in September and see this and miss this.”

WILD LUXURY, INDEED

The constant surprises are only part of the allure of this great, expansive land.

Joy can also come from creature comforts, and at Bushtops Camps there is no shortage of indulgence.

Our tent at Mara Bushtops was outfitted with a telescope and viewing deck. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

Bushtops Camps is a trio of luxury African safari destinations founded by husband and wife Andy and Claudia Stuart. Mara Bushtops, the couples’ first camp, constructed in 2007, is located on the exclusive-use, 6,070-hectare Isaaten Conservancy, next to the Masai Mara National Reserve. It can be accessed via a short plane ride from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, or a longer trip by land.

Our luxury tent at Mara Bushtops. The tents are named after animals and this one is the Jackal. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

Like its branding suggests, Bushtops Camps specializes in “wild luxury,” evidenced upon our arrival by the hot towel and ice-cold Tusker beer that awaited us mere steps from the Siana Springs dirt airstrip where our 12-seater plane touched down, seemingly dropping us off in another world.

Birds chirped and thunder rolled in the distance as we sipped our Tuskers, leaving behind any stress that came with travelling to a faraway, unfamiliar place (and getting a flat tire during an eye-opening cab ride on the Nairobi highway during rush hour while trying to make our final connecting flight).

Any lingering uneasiness was replaced by wonder and fascination when we rounded a corner en route to Mara Bushtops and saw two zebras, followed by giraffes, impalas, baboons, buffaloes, warthogs, various antelope species and even a dung beetle rolling a perfect sphere of elephant feces.

Mara Bushtops is home to an award-winning spa. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

This was the stuff of our wildest dreams, the heaven-on-earth sensation we’d long dreamed about, and the excitement only increased in the coming days.

Not that we doubted its five-star rating, but our heavy canvas tent, outfitted with a hot tub, indoor and outdoor showers and even a telescope showed this was glamping to the extreme, The Ritz In The Middle Of Nowhere.

The panoramic viewing deck of tent was a highlight. It was stunning to watch zebras and other wildlife from the comfort of our own resting spot.

“It’s unbottled nature,” said Bushtops assistant manager Thomas Rabach, adding our view was like “the biggest flatscreen in the world. And you won’t want to change the channel.”

A tiny stuffed toy rhino on the king-sized bed was ours to take home as a welcome gift, and it was part of a definitive theme throughout the duration of our stay: No detail is too small.

When my wife’s hiking shoe came apart, one of the staff members fixed it up to make it like new. When we needed a specific item during our stay, it was brought to us.

With infinity pools, a top-notch spa, genuine five-star dining, and even breakfast in the bush, there are no corners cut here.

If you’re looking for a place that truly has all the bases covered, Bushtops is it, making this destination a worthy consideration for honeymooners, as well as vacationers willing to spend more to get more.

The Stuarts smartly situated their camp’s restaurant directly in front of a natural salt lick, creating a constantly shifting nature show as various wildlife venture close for minerals.

The view from the restaurant as a tower of giraffes gather at the natural salt lick at Mara Bushtops. (SARA SHANTZ PHOTO)

Did we mention we had a personal butler available to us 24/7, the property included an award-winning spa with two infinity pools, first-rate food served a la carte, and unlimited beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee and tea?

That kind of luxury comes at a cost, make no mistake about that. The nightly per-person rates for 2020 start at $880 in the “green” season and jump to $1,500 during peak season, depending on the camp. The three properties include Kenya’s Mara Bushtops, Tanzania’s Serengeti Bushtops and Roving Bushtops, a mobile camp that follows the path of the Great Migration. Discounts of 10% to 15% are granted when guests combine any of the three destinations. (We visited Mara and the Serengeti and wouldn’t have done it any differently, as both are relatively close to one another, yet vastly different.)

We’ll submit that there is excellent value considering the all-inclusive aspect and the overall level of customer service. Visiting during the “green” season, as we did, is worth considering, as it will not only bring down cost, but will also mean increased exclusivity at both the camps and in the parks. During our visit to the Serengeti, we encountered two other safari vehicles over a 48-hour period. We had the expansive Serengeti, which is a bit larger than Switzerland, all to ourselves.

Zebra fight! Not to worry. It was a playful tussle. (SARA SHANTZ PHOTO)

Because Mara Bushtops is located within a private conservancy, that experience felt more immersive and close-up in and around the camp compared to the Serengeti side. The nearby Masai Mara national park is stunning, but it was certainly the more congested of the two parks we visited. By contrast, the Serengeti felt virtually uninhabited by humans. We left camp for our game drives just after dawn and the cool morning temperatures were made entirely cozy thanks to the heated water bottles and blankets that were supplied inside our vehicle. It was just another example of the consideration put into guests’ comfort.

A baboon gets some air inside the Masai Mara National Reserve. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

We spent hours in wide-open landscapes, accompanied by herds of elephants, towers of giraffes and zebras. We cozied our vehicle up next to a lion as he bullied nearby vultures who wanted in on his meal of Eland (a large species of antelope) that he was lustily devouring.

The sunsets were something out of a dream, even though the short rains season doesn’t lend itself to the iconic African sunset. If ever there was a thing such as bliss, this was it.

Elephants have poor eye-sight and rely on their excellent sense of smell. (SARA SHANTZ PHOTO)

Getting here had been a journey; rain, ice and snow on departure day out of Toronto, followed by 24 hours of travel, the harrowing taxi ride through the thick of Nairobi’s rush-hour morning traffic, and, courtesy of Murphy’s Law, the flat tire that caused relative panic before we boarded our final connecting flight with a few minutes to spare.

Once we arrived at Bushtops, however, there was but one downfall: Eventually, we would have to leave.

— Bring a rain jacket: East Africa’s “short rains” season falls between October and December. If you plan to go during that timeframe, a proper rain jacket might be the most important item you pack. The heaviest rainfall here is in April and May.

— Dutch dreams: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies a Toronto-Amsterdam-Nairobi route with a four-hour layover at Amsterdam’s comfortable and modern Schiphol airport. Stopping in Amsterdam breaks the journey into two eight-hour segments. We spent a few days in the canal city on our way back from Nairobi (there is no additional cost for the stopover), turning it into a multi-continent trip.

— The air up there: If you are put off by the idea of flying in small planes that land on tiny dirt airstrips, this trip might not be for you, though the camps are accessible by land, it’ll just take more time. If bumps aren’t your thing … well, let’s just say these safaris are bumpy rides.

— What to wear: Cool, light, neutral/earthy coloured clothing (dark colours attract flies and bugs). A good pair of hiking boots or shoes would be ideal, especially if you’re going during the rainy seasons.

— Block it: Sun block and mosquito repellent.

— Take your shot: Camera with 200mm lens. We got much closer to the wildlife than we expected and definitely had no issues getting in nice and close with the 200mm.

— Take your best shot: Contact a medical expert as early into the planning process as possible to ensure you give yourself proper time for vaccinations.

— Paperwork: Going to Africa is not like going to Orlando. Do your homework regarding all the required documentation, especially visas.

IT’S A SOUND SAFARI

An African safari is a fascinating experience that doesn’t get boring throughout the day, and as it turns out, the nighttime can be quite interesting, too.

We were fast asleep inside our tent on our first night at the Mara Bushtops camp when we woke to the sounds of rustling in the bushes and loud grunting noises. As safari first-timers without much first-hand knowledge of the habits of the animals in the entirely unfenced area, we guessed it might have been warthogs.

Giraffes were in abundance in the Serengeti. (IAN SHANTZ/TORONTO SUN)

Whatever it might have been, when you’re sleeping in a tent in the bushes of East Africa and it’s 4 a.m., it’s downright terrifying.

Eventually, the sounds went away, replaced by soothing drops of rain hitting the roof of the tent, though at least one of us in the tent might not have gone back to sleep, as his mind might have been occupied by those earlier unknown sounds.

Morning came and we quickly discovered exactly who our overnight visitors were. There, 90 steps from the door of our tent, was the clear and steamy evidence: Giant piles of elephant dung.

A lion takes a break from his meal of Eland, an antelope species. (SARA SHANTZ PHOTO)

The two elephants who had been wreaking havoc on the property for a few days certainly weren’t the only animals we heard from inside our tent, but they most likely were the largest.

Animals are most active during the nighttime hours and the plan was to go on a night game drive. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t co-operate so we were left to listen to it all unfold instead.

A pair of zebras are apparently headed in opposite directions in the Serengeti. (SARA SHANTZ)

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